A select group of community leaders gathered together for a special luncheon on Thursday in the Sunflower/Humphreys Counties Progress Inc., boardroom to share ideas and provide valuable input to members of the Women and Children Health Initiative Workforce Development project.
The goals of the initiative are to find ways to train and educate the young people in the community, mainly 18-30-year olds, and hopefully change some of the mindsets with regards to women seeking careers in non-traditional job categories.
Cynthia Woodall, director of outreach, recruiting and retention for Sunflower County and Louise Lloyd, project coordinator for the county, greeted the handpicked group of leaders and made the plea for them to become “foot soldiers” for the cause of getting county residents to participate in the free workforce training programs.
Woodall spoke briefly on the requirements to participate in the trainings, the need to encourage the young people to take advantage of the free classes and the necessity of filling all of the available slots. She stressed that they are counting on the chosen leaders to help get the word out and draw focus to the project.
The participants must be at least 18 years old, a high school graduate or near graduating who has acquired at least a silver-level placement on the Career Readiness Certificate exam, which is free to take.
However, if an interested person has not taken the test it will be administered on the first day of the class and can also be taken on Thursdays at the Capps Center.
One of the first offerings is an eight-week carpentry class conducted by a licensed carpenter and Woodall said as of Thursday more than a dozen people had already signed up for the class and there is a possibility that a second one could be added.
Free transportation is also being provided for individuals who need it. “We are determined to help in this area,” she added.
Woodall said they are interested in developing people into persons who are capable of starting their own carpentry/contracting businesses. “They can make decent money being a carpenter, but they must be trained,” Woodall said.
Sannie Snell, director of strategic planning/reporting and evaluation for the county said they have hopes of expanding beyond the single class to a full-scale “construction academy.”
And although some women have shown an interest and have signed up, Snell said she would like to see more women in non-traditional fields like carpentry, welding and farm equipment operating. “I want some women that will be able to take these jobs,” she said.
Snell said she is concerned that most women feel that they are relegated to so-called “women’s jobs” but she wants them to understand a lot of those jobs are lower paying. Mentioning careers as a pharmacy technician, Snell said, “There are just not enough drug stores around and there are some (other) things that women can handle,” she said.
Referring to certain welding jobs that have a starting salary of $70,000, Snell said it calls for thinking “outside of the box.”
Lloyd said the culmination of the carpentry class will result in the construction of handicap ramps for needy persons and at least two homes will be rehabilitated.
A group discussion and a question and answer session addressed matters related to how to change people’s limited way of thinking, what other free course offerings exist and facilitating the upcoming job readiness and employability skills training.
Set for May 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the training is open to the public, no age limit, lunch and snacks will be served and the training will touch on workforce preparation, job application, interpersonal skills and mock interviews will be conducted.
Lloyd said, “We’re bringing together community leaders who we feel are influential in the community, willing to assist us, work beside and along with us to improve the lives of young people and middle-aged individuals in the Sunflower County area.”
In addition to the carpentry class, which meets Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Capps Center, courses in welding (class begins May 6), HVAC, medical administrative assistant (register before June 20) and pharmacy technician (register before May 17), have been approved for up to 10 free slots each. Other workforce skills training courses are also available.
The Women and Children Health Initiative is headquartered in Jackson and is committed to the betterment of that area, East Biloxi and Sunflower County. Individuals interested in any of the course offerings can reach Woodall at 601-720-3346, email her at cfwoodall@gmail.com or stop by her office at the Capps Center.
